Automated cartoning equipment is well known in the art. There is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,062 to Petersson et al. a packaging system having multiple magazines for providing different carton blanks to a single form, fill and seal packaging machine. The packaging system has multiple magazines, a packaging machine, a carton opener, and optionally an automatic carton loader. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,626 to Beckmann. In the '626 patent there is disclosed an apparatus which provides a plurality of different carton blanks to a packing apparatus. The filling of the cartons and the closing of the cartons takes place on a turret having cells which are adjustable in size to match the incoming erected carton. So also, there is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,291 to Boisseau an apparatus having multiple magazines. See FIG. 2. There is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,137,981 to Johnson et al. a multiple magazine cartoning machine.
The various components of cartoning systems are further described in the following patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,830,145 to Flom describes a transfer system including an air conveyer, a servo conveyer and a fan feeder. The air conveyer is located at a first location where it receives package articles from a bagger system or a conveyer system. The servo conveyer abuts the air conveyer and extends to a second location adjacent to a destination point. The fan feeder is located adjacent to the servo conveyer at an end opposite the air conveyer such that the fan feeder lies over a bucket conveyer to a cartoner system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,934 to Focke et al. describes a process for packaging cigarettes packs. The procedure for carrying out a product changeover is such that the entire production and packaging installation is largely emptied. In the region of a film packer and of a following multi-packer, subassemblies for producing web connections are controlled such that the last cigarette pack of an old configuration is assigned to a last cigarette multipack and the product is separated out. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,811 to Focke et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,316 to Kirschner describes a packaging system with a subsystem for packaging individual articles into different sized containers, the different sized containers having a different number of individual articles therein. This system also includes a palletizer for palletizing the different sized containers and a conveyer system for transporting the articles from the supply to the packaging subsystem and for transporting the containers from the packaging subsystem to the palletizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,417 to Mohrman discloses an adjustable case-packer. The device includes a telescoping stacking chamber with a telescoping base plate having sensors for detecting a full layer and means for raising the telescoping base plate in order to pack a carton.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,162 to Kreusch et al. discloses a packaging system for packaging a plurality of different cigarette types including multiple packaging units arranged in a side by side relationship. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,701 to Brizzi et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,987 to Long discloses an accumulator system for cartons moving to a case-packer including a conveyer section interposed in a conveying line. When a jam is detected on the delivery conveyer, a stop member is activated to prevent movement of cartons. When a slug of cartons is accumulated, an array of fingers lifts the slug an increment to clear the accumulator for more cartons from the receiving conveyer. Another accumulator is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,724 to Fellner which discloses an accumulator including a plurality of side by side conveying lines.
Due to prohibitive capital costs, conventional case-packing systems are unsuitable for low volume product lines because such systems remain idle for much of the time. Such products are thus conventionally hand-packed into cases for delivery to customers. The present invention provides a case packing system and method wherein multiple products are concurrently accumulated and sequentially packed in cases through robotic selection of the production line and appropriate case for the particular product.